4 houses, garage burn in NW Canton; 7 residents forced out

Seven people were put out of their homes in the 600 block of Hazlett Avenue NW,

Lori Monsewicz CantonRep.com staff writer @lmonsewiczREP

Firefighters battled overnight Thursday to stop a vacant house fire that spread to three neighboring homes and a garage.

Seven people were put out of their homes in the 600 block of Hazlett Avenue NW, said Battalion Chief Thomas Garra, adding that six of them were now receiving temporary assistance from the American Red Cross.

Two firefighters were treated for exhaustion at the scene and a fire engine suffered minor damage from the heat, he said.

Fire Prevention Bureau inspectors were still on the scene later Thursday morning, trying to determine the cause of the blaze, deemed suspicious in nature.

Firefighters initially called at 3:39 a.m. to a vacant house at 604 Hazlett could already see flames from Tuscarawas Street W as they rushed to the scene, Garra said.

They arrived to find the boarded-up structure engulfed, he said.

The fire spread to the north side of 602 Hazlett next door, moving up the exterior to the inside first floor and to the roof, Garra said.

Four adults and two children who had been in the home had been chased out by the blaze. Garra said they were standing on the front porch when firefighters arrived.

Firefighters assisted a man who lives in the house on the other side — at 608 Hazlett — out of his home.

They said he was awake, but just hadn't left his home yet.

The south side of his house was damaged, although not as severely as 602 Hazlett, Garra said.

"The fire caught the eaves of (608)," Garra said, adding that a garage behind it was also damaged.

Firefighters called for help.

An extra ladder truck and an extra fire engine responded to the scene, Garra said.

"We protected the structures to the north and to the south," he said.

Another house across the street at 603 Hazlett was also damaged.

Garra said the heat melted its siding.

The heat also damaged one of the fire trucks. Garra said the lenses covering a couple of lights were damaged.

Two firefighters were treated at the scene but, he said, "They're fine. They weren't transported" to a hospital.

The house at 602 Hazlett was rendered unhabitable, so firefighters called the Red Cross to help the family who lived there. Damage to the home was estimated at $18,000, Garra said.

Damage to 608 Hazlett was estimated at about $7,500, but it was still habitable, so the man who lives there could remain, Garra said.

The house across the street — at 603 Hazlett — was also damaged, but a monetary estimate was not available.

Damage to the vacant house at 604 Hazlett, however, was listed at $28,000. Garra said it was destroyed.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Garra said anyone with information about the fire should call Fire Prevention Bureau investigators at 330-489-3400.